HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (828newsNOW) — An annual all-out old-time music celebration will return to Hot Springs, N.C. this weekend.

The 28th annual Bluff Mountain Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 14 outdoors at the Hot Springs Resort & Spa.

The free music festival features traditional Appalachian music and dancing from over a dozen musical groups, including the Junior Appalachian Musicians, Nobody’s Darling String Band, White Rock Revival, Sourwood Ridge, Roger Howell, Newfound Gap, Mtn Mtn Mtn Boys, the Madison County Ballad Singers and the Southern Appalachian Cloggers.

“There’s Appalachian folk dancing and music and ballad singing,” said Melanie Rice, a manager at Hot Springs Resort. “All of that really from Madison County, because we have a wonderful tradition of the dance music and singing traditional here to the mountains. So, we’re really proud of that.”

Bluff Mountain Festival is put on by the Madison County Arts Council in collaboration with the resort. At the event, a silent auction will be held to raise money for MCAC, which continues to organize events in the county as it rebuilds its base of operations in Marshall, N.C.

Rice suggested Bluff Mountain listeners arrive early to stake out their spots on the outdoor lawn. She encouraged visitors to spend time in downtown Hot Springs and stop by local food vendors as the community rebuilds from the destruction of Hurricane Helene last fall.

The return of Bluff Mountain Festival marks a major milestone in Hot Springs’ journey to full restoration. According to Rice, the town couldn’t have done it without the support of the entire region.

“It’s just really been so wonderful. Especially Eastern Tennessee and our friends here in Western North Carolina, plus people and volunteers coming from all over the state,” Rice said. “As a community, as a town and as a county, and then as a region, really, people have been coming together to help us and the whole town to get back up and running. So, we’ve done it, but with a little help from our friends, for sure.”

For more information about Hot Springs Resort & Spa and booking a stay, visit www.nchotsprings.com.

For more information about Madison County Arts Council, visit www.madisoncountyarts.com.